Cormac McCarthy's "Child of God" tells the story of Lester Ballard, a mentally disturbed outsider who lives in the woods, removed from all civilization. Never being provided with a basic code of ethics, Ballard crosses the limits of what one would think a human is capable of. Lester's primitive lifestyle and lack of social interaction has stunted his mental growth, making him incapable of seeing other people as human beings like himself. Lester is not the only character that commits acts of violence; however, there is no indication that these other characters have been misguided in their actions. While other characters are presented in such a way that holds them directly responsible for their acts of cruelty, McCarthy establishes Lester in a different manner. Although Lester commits unthinkable crimes against humanity, we do not simply write him off as a villain. The way that McCarthy characterizes Ballard evokes a degree of sympathy for Lester that allows the reader to see him as more than a monster. One primary way that McCarthy presents Lester as a sympathetic character is by attributing him with childlike qualities. McCarthy attributes Lester with qualities that make him appear childlike, giving us reason to look upon Lester with empathy as opposed to total hatred. This sympathy allows us to see his behavior from a more sympathetic standpoint, one that is a function of his isolation, loveless childhood, and vulnerability to those around him. I plan to examine the ways in which McCarthy's characterization of Lester brings us to see the humanity in a seemingly evil being .
We are first introduced to Lester as his family home is being auctioned off to a crowd of rowdy townspeople. Although he has already been put in jail once for attempting to stop foreclosure, Lester acts instinctively, and confronts the auctioneer with rifle in hand. "I want you to get your goddamn ass off my property.